Setting Expectations for Ethics Theory from the Standpoint of the User.

Abstract

Ethics theory is highly valued to the point that some commentators have claimed that it has taken on a life of its own, with too much focus on the justification of moral judgment and not enough on the needs of users of such theory. Building from various personal experiences of interdisciplinary ethics collaborative developments and empirical research projects, the wisdom gleaned by others, as well as insights from pragmatist theory, this article offers five (non-exhaustive) expectations for ethics theory from the standpoint of a user. The article is intended to prompt broad reflection on expectations toward ethics theory and why user perspectives should be considered early in the development of ethics scholarship.